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APPARATUS .FORV MANUFAGTURING GAS.

Patented May 5 1885.

T211 72.25. Sb/OP y (No Mmm.) 2 sheetssheen 2.

. R. B. STAP? APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING GAS. N0. 317,423.-PatentedvMay 5, 1885,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT B. STAPP, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS,TO THE UNITED STATES CARBONOUS OXIDE GAS COMPANY, OF

SAME PLAGE.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 317,423, dated May 5,1885.

Application led February 25, 1885. (N o model.)

To all whom it may concern,-

Be it known that I, ROBERT B. STAPP, of

' Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, have inventeda new and useful Improvem ent in Apparatus for Manufacturing Gas; and Ido hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exactdescription of the same.

My invention relates to the manufacture of illuminatinggas. Theprincipal objects of my invention are to produce cheap illuminatinggasof excellent quality, to avoid the use of oxygen, whereby the gas isrendered explosive, and to provide an apparatus for producing this gasof simple and inexpensive construction, whereby small machines can bemade for use in private families, and larger plants for public service,all of the'same construction.

AHeretofore gases have been made in many ways out of air, superheatedsteam, and the products of combustion combined with vapors ofhydrocarbon taken up by these gases, the whole being converted into aiixed gas, and thereby rendered t for use or burned as a a vapor, eitherfor heating or illumination.

My present invention consists of an improvedapparatus adapted tomanufacture gas according to the process hereinafter described.

This apparatus I have shown in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 represents in section the generator and receiver andintermediate parts. Fig. 2 represents the generator detached andenlarged. Fig. 3 is a similar View of the pump and washer. Fig. 4 is asection of a modiiied form of generator.

In these drawings A represents a gas-generator. This gasgeneratorconsists of brick or iron containing-walls with a suitable covering andwith a flue for the escape of the smoke. Within this wall is an ironcasting, preferably cylindrical, forming the ash-pit, (indicated at 2.)Above this is a ilaring repot, 3, and between the two is an ordinarygrate, 4. On the top of the iiie-pot-3 is supported a beveled ring, 5,the lower edge of which dips down into the cone ofthe firepct, anannular space being left between the ring and the upper edge of thetire-pot. The ring supports a series of vertical iron retorts, 9,arranged around near the walls of the furnace. lhe ring forms apartition, substantially air-tight, between the upper part of thefurnace, in which the retorts are located, and the lower annular space,7, between the outer walls and the casting 2, excepting the innerannular space between the outer edge of the fire-pot and the innerbevel-edge of the ring 5. Suitable provision is made for theintroduction ot' air into the ash-pit within the casting 2. Verticalretorts in the chamber above the fire-pot are supported on the ring, andare connected alternately at top and bottom by short transverse pipesl0, and on one side the oil-pipe 11 is connected to the bottom of one ofthe retorts. A passage on the other side (marked 12) is provided fromthe bottom of the retort, connecting it with a three-way cock, B. Thepipe 8 connects the annular chamber? also with the three-way cock. Thepipe .11 leads to an elevated tank containing a light hydro-carbon,preferably of 1100. Within the retort 9 is placed coke or other suitablematerial adapted to be raised to a suicient degree of heat withoutdecomposition to convert the hydrocarbon vapor into a gas. G representsa tar-trap adapted to contain water, and a pipe, 20, leads from thethree-way cock B into the Lipper part of this trap, 'and extends down tonear the bottom. The exit-pipe 21 enters the bottom of the trap andextends upward near the cover. This pipe extends to the pump and washerD, entering the bottom and passing up to or near the top of the tank,then bending over and extending down near to the bottom. The outer tankor case of the pump and washer is shown at 22. It is adapted to containwater, and is opened at the top. An inverted vessel, 23, iittedinto thistank 22, is caused to reciprocate vertically by means of a pitinan andguiding-rod connecting it to the driving wheel or crank. An open pipe,24, extends from near the top of the tank down through the bottom andinto the oil-trap E, which is similar to the tartrap. It is providedwith a pipe, 25, extending down into a waterltank, into which extendsalso the drippipe 26. From the drip-water tank the waterpipe leads upinto the holder F, which is of ordinary construction.

Instead of having the retorts in a vertical position, I mayhave theminclined, as shown in Fig. 4, in which corresponding parts are IOOthrough the pipe ll into these retorts.

the heat of the retorts itis converted into gas, 4

indicated by the same letters and figures. In this case the retorts 9are made to extend through the walls of the furnace and to project onthe outside thereof, and are provided with plugs. They are connected inthe manner above described by the pipes 10, and have also thepipe-connections 11 and 12, the pipe S in this case extending into thefurnace above the grate.

In operating the machine the re pot 3 is filled with coal and a suitableamount of air is permitted to iiowinto the ash-pit. The pump, which isnearly filled with water, is then operated, the three-way cock beingturned in the position shown in Fig. l to open connection between theannular space 7 and the tar-trap. The operation of the pump creates avacuum in the inlet-pipe and tar-trap and causes the air to be drawnfrom the space 7. By air passing through the coal in the fire potcarbonicoxide gas is generated, which is drawn and forced by the pumpthrough traps into the holder. This operation is carried on as may bedeemed advisable, and then the pump is stopped and the three-way cock isturned to shut off the pipe 8 and bring the pipe l2 in connection withthe tar-trap. In the meantime the retorts have become heated and oil ispassed Under and its own pressure forces it forward through the pump D(which now becomes a washer) and into the holder, where it mingleswiththe carbonic-oxide gaspreviouslyintroduced. vBy this mixing thecarbonio-oxide gas, which is nearly colorless when burning, is made anilluminating-gas. The operation can be repeated at intervals which maybe found necessary or advisable, the retortsbeing heated during theproduction of the carbonio-oxide gas and the heat exhausted in theconversion of the hydrocarbon oil into gas. The proportion or mixture ofthe two gases may be varied at will by vary- K ing the relative lengthof operation of the two processes.

It will be apparent that the dimensions of the apparatus may be varied.without affecting the operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. Thehereinbefore-describe-d apparatus, consisting of a closed chamberprovided with a suitable flue and lire-pot, a partition at or near thetop of the tire-pot dividing the said chamber into an upper and lowerpart, and provided with au opening from the upper to the lower chamber,openings into the ash-pit to admit air to the grate below the firepot,retorts in the upper chamber.l an oil-supply pipe connected with saidretorts, and suitable pipes leading from the upper and lower chambers toa pipe connecting with suitable apparatus for purifying, moving, andreceiving the gases, substantially as described.

2. In the described apparatus provided with a furnace and retorts,substantially as described, the combination of two chambers, one adaptedto the generation of canbonic-oxide gas from the fuel, and the other tothe generation of gas from hydrocarbon oil by means of the heat from thefuel, pipes leading from the two generating-chambers to a three-waycock, a pipe leading from the three-way cock to a pump consisting of anouter fixed and an inner movable part, and a pipe leading from the pumpto a suitable receiver, all substantially as described.

3. In the described apparatus provided with a furnace and retorts,substantially as described, the combination of two chambers, one adaptedto the generation of carbonio-oxide gas from the fuel, the other to thegeneration' of gas from hydrocarbon oil by means of the heat from thefuel, pipes leading from the two generating-chambers to a threeway cock,a pipe leading from the three-way cock to a pump consisting of an outeriixcd and inner movable part, a pipe leading from the pump to areceiver, and suitable washing apparatus, all substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

fitnessesz ROBERT B. STAPI.

R. E. WArsoN, HENRY A. Davis.

